Inclusion in Education Inclusion (in education) is the practice of educating students with special needs in regular classes for all or nearly all of the day instead of in special education classes.[1]
When implemented correctly, an inclusive classroom consists of a properly trained regular education teacher, special education aides/teachers, parental involvement, appropriate equipment and resources, and the understanding that all students are full members of the class community. Teamwork is particularly emphasized.
Classification
There are two sub-types of inclusion: partial inclusion and full inclusion.[2]
Partial inclusion is when a special needs student is in the regular classroom for part of the day, and are pulled out for specialized classes that would be considered disruptive or require special equipment, such as speech or physical therapy. Full inclusion is when special education students are always educated alongside regular education students. Additional support is provided for the special needs student, and is integrated into the everyday routine of the classroom.
professional development for all teachers involved, general and special educators alike;
time for teachers to plan, meet, create, and evaluate the students together;
reduced class size based on the severity of the student needs,
professional skill development in the areas of cooperative learning, peer tutoring, adaptive curriculum, varied learning styles, etc.,
collaboration between parents, teachers and administrators,
sufficient funding so that schools will be able to develop programs for students based on student need instead of the availability of funding, or lack thereof."[3]
Positive effects
Inclusion has shown to have many positive effects on both special and regular education students. Both types of students benefit from meaningful friendships that they would not otherwise enjoy in a segregated setting.
Special needs students flourish academically and socially, showing increased achievement of Individualized Education Programs (IEP), higher expectations, greater access to general curriculum, and greater acceptance in future environments. Other students gain an understanding, respect, and acceptance of people with disabilities. These students also get an opportunity to learn by teaching and aiding special needs students, and often have increased feelings of self-esteem because of it.[4]
Criticism
It is argued that inclusion is overly-idealistic, and does not make sense due to the increased emphasis on standardized testing and rigid curricula. Another concern is the time and money needed to prepare for inclusive classrooms. Teachers must be properly trained to teach special education students, additional staff, equipment, and other resources must be acquired, and all involved need to be properly educated on inclusion and how to properly implement it. They also argue that more attention would be given to special education students, leaving the other students behind. On the side of special education, there is concern that the shift would result in loss of advocacy for special education services. There is also concern that regular education teachers are not properly prepared to teach special education students, and not enough attention would be given to them. Also brought up is the fact that students with certain disabilities cannot be successfully integrated into the regular classroom. [5]
Inclusion (in education) is the practice of educating students with special needs in regular classes for all or nearly all of the day instead of in special education classes.[1]
When implemented correctly, an inclusive classroom consists of a properly trained regular education teacher, special education aides/teachers, parental involvement, appropriate equipment and resources, and the understanding that all students are full members of the class community. Teamwork is particularly emphasized.
Classification
There are two sub-types of inclusion: partial inclusion and full inclusion.[2]
Partial inclusion is when a special needs student is in the regular classroom for part of the day, and are pulled out for specialized classes that would be considered disruptive or require special equipment, such as speech or physical therapy.
Full inclusion is when special education students are always educated alongside regular education students. Additional support is provided for the special needs student, and is integrated into the everyday routine of the classroom.
Necessary resources
The Utah Education Association created a list of provisions required for inclusion to be successful:
Positive effects
Inclusion has shown to have many positive effects on both special and regular education students. Both types of students benefit from meaningful friendships that they would not otherwise enjoy in a segregated setting.
Special needs students flourish academically and socially, showing increased achievement of Individualized Education Programs (IEP), higher expectations, greater access to general curriculum, and greater acceptance in future environments.
Other students gain an understanding, respect, and acceptance of people with disabilities. These students also get an opportunity to learn by teaching and aiding special needs students, and often have increased feelings of self-esteem because of it. [4]
Criticism
It is argued that inclusion is overly-idealistic, and does not make sense due to the increased emphasis on standardized testing and rigid curricula. Another concern is the time and money needed to prepare for inclusive classrooms. Teachers must be properly trained to teach special education students, additional staff, equipment, and other resources must be acquired, and all involved need to be properly educated on inclusion and how to properly implement it. They also argue that more attention would be given to special education students, leaving the other students behind.
On the side of special education, there is concern that the shift would result in loss of advocacy for special education services. There is also concern that regular education teachers are not properly prepared to teach special education students, and not enough attention would be given to them. Also brought up is the fact that students with certain disabilities cannot be successfully integrated into the regular classroom. [5]
Media
Definition of inclusion: http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/inclusion.html
Bowe, Frank. (2005). Making Inclusion Work. Merrill Education/Prentice Hall.
http://www.kidstogether.org/inclusion/benefitsofinclusion.htm
http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues43/concerns.html